Saturday, June 19, 2010

"Earth Making, Hollow Earth, Cherokee"

All cultures need a beginning and and end story. And for the most part. They all start with the Earth as only a body of water. And the Cherokee are no different than most Native American tribes. Here is one of there versions. If this is a true Cherokee tale, there is one difference. This tale, calls the Sun He. Instead of the traditional female.

Earth floating on the waters, like a big island. Hanging from four rawhide ropes. Fastened to the top of the four sacred directions. The ropes are tied to the ceiling of the sky. Which is made of hard rock crystal. When the ropes break, this World will come tumbling down. And all the living things, will fall with it and die. Then everything will be as if the Earth had never existed, for water will cover it. Maybe the White man will bring this about. (Illuminate?)

Well in the beginning also, water covered everything (Genesis) Though living creatures existed. There home was up there above the Rainbow. And it was crowded. The animals said, 'we're all jammed together, and need more room.' (Once again reference to the fact. That the first living inhabitants on Earth, were the animals.) The animals wondering what was under the water. Sent Water Beetle to look around.

Water beetle skimmed over the surface, but couldn't find any solid footing. So he dived down to the bottom. And brought up a little dab of soft mud. Magically the mud spread out in four directions. And became this island, mankind lives on called Earth. Someone Powerful then fastened it to the sky ceiling with cords.

In the beginning the Earth was flat, soft, moist. All the animals were eager to live on it. They kept sending down birds to see, if the mud had dried. And hardened enough, to take there weight. The birds all flew back and said. 'There was no spot they could perch on.

Then the animals sent down 'Grandfather Buzzard'. He flew very close and saw the Earth was still very soft. When he glided low over what would become Cherokee land. He found the mud was getting harder. By that "Time", Grandfather Buzzard was tired and dragging. When he flapped his wings down. He made a valley, when his wings touch down. When he swept them up, he made a mountain. The animals were watching above, on the Rainbow said. 'If he keeps this up, we will only have mountains.' They made him come back down. That's why there are so many mountains in Cherokee land.

At last the Earth was hard enough. The animals descended down to Mother Earth. They couldn't see very well, because they had no Sun or Moon. Someone said, 'let's grab Sun, from up behind the Rainbow. Let's get him down too'. Pulling Sun down, they told him. 'Here is a road for you. And showed him the way to go, from east to west.

Now they had light, but it was much to hot. The Sun was much to close to the Earth. The Crayfish had it's back sticking out of a stream. The Sun burned it red. The Crayfish meat was spoiled forever. And the people still won't eat crayfish.

Everyone asked the Sorcerers, the Shamans, to put the Sun higher. They pushed him up as high as a man, but it was still to hot. So they pushed him farther yet, but it wasn't far enough. They tried four "Times". And when they had the Sun the height of four men. It was just hot enough. Everyone was satisfied, so they left him their.

Before making humans, Someone Powerful had created the plants and animals. He told them to stay awake and watch for seven days and seven nights. (The Cherokee young men still do this today. To prepare for ceremony.) Most of the plants and animals couldn't manage it. Some fell asleep after one day. Some after two days. Some after three days. Among the animals only the Owl and Mountain Lion were still awake. After seven days and nights. That's why they were given the gift of seeing in the dark. So they could hunt at night.

Among the trees and other plants. Only the Cedar, Pine, Holly, and Laurel, were awake on the eighth morning. Someone Powerful told the ones who kept awake. You will not lose your hair in winter. These plants stay green all year.

After Someone Powerful created the plants and animals. Someone Powerful created man and his sister, women. The man poked her with a fish and told her to give birth. After seven days, she had a child. After another seven days, she had another child. And every seven days another child. The humans increased so quickly that Someone Powerful. Thinking that there would soon be, no more room on his Earth. He arranged things so that a women could only have one child a year.

Now there is still another World. Under the one World, mankind lives on. You can reach it by going down a spring, a water hole. Problem is, you need Underworld people. To be your scout and guide. The World under the Earth, is exactly like the upper Earth. Except it is winter down their. When it it's summer on the upper Earth. You can see that easily, because spring water is warmer than the air in winter. And cooler than the air in summer.

This story shows how the Sun and Moon were put in place by Someone Powerful. The Sun was needed first. So that the plants, animals and mankind could grow and flourish. Then you needed the Moon to create the cycles of women's child birth and ministration cycles. As most Native American stories plainly show. There had to be a Great Organizer. To many things had to go as a plan. For even the simplest of plant, to have survived. Even as things were so well planned out. You can see that things were modified along the way. Such as the idea that to many humans. Were a bad idea, for Someone Powerful's living Mother Earth. Even the location of the Sun needed modification, to make things work.

This Cherokee story is another example of how mankind came to be. The Earth had living things, with the animal and plants. Someone Powerful needed someone to say prayers to him and his creation. Now someone might have come along later and changed the genetic code of the Earth inhabitants. Who knows for sure if that was the Annunaki. Or if it was ordered by Someone Powerful. One thing for sure, it appears that the Plants came first. Followed by the Animals. And thirdly mankind followed. Also one final though, 'Hollow Earth'. Here it shows up again. Giving more proof the the Earth is a living Entity, 'Mother Earth', Father Sky'. Someone Powerful, first created a womb for his future creations. Coincidence???